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When Chelsea were searching for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were considered. This was an thorough process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they ultimately opted for Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession made him the most suitable for Chelsea’s team of talented individuals. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next opportunity. Passed over by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham appointed the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca meet, both holding high-profile roles. Theirs is not yet a full-fledged rivalry, but they experienced some close encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the superior chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two competitive games, made more intriguing by the contrasting styles between the managers. Frank is considered a practical manager, more willing to be direct, play on the break, and wait for chances to deploy an variety of deadly set-piece plays, whereas Maresca leans towards a strict philosophy. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he emphasizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% so far this campaign is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not inherently a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their strongest performances have come in games where they have surrendered the initiative. They were outstanding with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an exceptional pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results point to Spurs should adopt a defensive approach when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The statistics are disappointing. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home matches is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a hard game to predict. Spurs are five points off the summit and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a lack of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

The reality is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is context to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Yet, there is potential for progress, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous dismissal during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s dismissal from the technical area during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is banned for the visit to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more effective against defensive teams. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more reliability is necessary from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Disappointment grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the season, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Data indicating that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season indicates that their fundamental philosophy is being exploited and turned on them.

This is not a recent issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, emphasizing a weakness when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The risk is slipping into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the anxiety also applies here.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their best performance under the Italian and thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a advantage. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are exciting when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them opportunity? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be smarter. Is a shift to a five-man defense likely? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have gotten better at attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a heavy creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in general play. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the ends may validate the means. Spurs fans will not object if a defensive approach breaks a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Victory would energize Frank’s time in charge. How he would relish to win this battle with Maresca.